1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of stencil printing, and more particularly to a used stencil sheet disposal device for disposing of a used stencil sheet from a printing drum of a stencil printer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a used stencil sheet disposal device for disposing of a used stencil sheet from a printing drum of a rotary stencil printer, there is known a device which comprises a claw means having a tip end positioned adjacent a periphery of the printing drum so as to detach the used stencil sheet from the printing drum, and a pair of used stencil sheet transfer rollers positioned behind the claw means as viewed from the printing drum and adapted to rotate in mutually opposite directions in contact with one another, whereby the used stencil sheet is detached from the printing drum by the tip end of the claw means and is nipped by the pair of used stencil sheet transfer rollers which transfer the stencil sheet in a stencil sheet disposal direction.
Such a conventional used stencil sheet disposal device operates satisfactorily to complete the disposal of the used stencil sheet, if a leading end portion of the stencil sheet detached from the printing drum by the tip end of the claw means has once been nipped between the pair of used stencil sheet transfer rollers. However, since the leading end portion of the stencil sheet detached from the printing drum by the claw means is pushed by a succeeding portion of the stencil sheet being detached in a floating condition, it was a problem to be solved how the soft and easily bendable leading end portion of the stencil sheet is conducted without fail to the nip portion of the pair of used stencil sheet transfer rollers. The general approach to this problem in the past was to position the pair of used stencil sheet transfer rollers as close to the claw means as possible so that the leading end portion of the stencil sheet passed over the tip end of the claw means reaches the nip portion of the pair of used stencil sheet transfer rollers as soon as possible. However, there is a limit in positioning the pair of used stencil sheet transfer rollers close to the claw means, and therefore also close to the outer periphery of the printing drum, because of various inconveniences caused thereby in the design of the rotary stencil printer.